Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Forget it, setting up a stall is more important!"

Composing himself, Lu Feng stopped thinking and continued hawking his wares.

After all, what's coming will eventually come. He can't just stop doing sect missions and never go to the martial arts hall to avoid Yuan Tiangang's targeting. That would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

As for the academy competition that will be held in seven days, Lu Feng is not worried at all.

Because, with his current cultivation level, even without using the Heaven-Covering Pearl, the Hurricane Spirit Soul, and the Dragon's Fury, dealing with Cheng Xuyuan, who is only at the third level of the Spirit Soul Realm, would be a piece of cake and not a problem at all!

...

Meanwhile, at a stone pavilion on Shanxing Peak...

A slender, graceful figure stood there, a gentle breeze causing her black robe to flutter and revealing a stunningly beautiful, pale face.

The area around the stone pavilion was deserted and eerily quiet, except for the woman in black robes who stood still, her beautiful eyes gazing silently at a much taller mountain peak on the horizon not far away.

"Fifth Sister, so you were hiding here."

Suddenly, a surprised man's low exclamation came from behind the stone pavilion.

The next moment, a tall and imposing figure in a yellow robe stepped through the air and landed lightly. His face showed slight surprise. It was none other than the famous second-in-command of the Five Spirits Society, "Tiger Spirit" Xia Zhenhu.

"Fifth Sister, I was just looking for you, but you weren't at your residence, and I couldn't find you anywhere on Lingtai Peak either. I thought you'd left the courtyard again to go on a mission..."

Xia Zhenhu scratched his head and put his hands behind his back, his tone slightly unnatural, as if he cared a lot about the other person but dared not show it too obviously.

"Second brother, is something the matter?"

Upon seeing that the person who came was Xia Zhenhu, Leng Ying merely glanced back, his tone remaining indifferent, as if this had always been his nature, and not just directed at the former.

"Uh, it's nothing serious! It's just that the academy competition is coming up soon, and I've noticed that you haven't been going to Lingtai Peak much these past few days, so I was a little surprised..."

Xia Zhenhu scratched his head again, then chuckled.

Although Leng Ying in front of him is still young and ranks last among the Five Spirits, his personal strength is not weak, and is even above Cheng Xuyuan, the fourth oldest!

In addition, Leng Ying usually takes cultivation very seriously, and is a prodigy who is both talented and hardworking.

Therefore, Xia Zhenhu was naturally very surprised to see that the other party had rarely gone to Lingtai Peak these days, but instead often hid alone in a secluded place in a daze.

After all, the Spirit Gathering Pavilion on Lingtai Peak is equipped with many cultivation chambers made of special materials. Ordinary students of Luoxing Academy can greatly increase their speed of absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth when they go into seclusion inside. At the same time, their cultivation efficiency is also faster than outside. It can be described as a treasure trove for seclusion.

"In the path of cultivation, one should especially avoid rushing to achieve results."

Faced with Xia Zhenhu's question, Leng Ying shook his head slightly, then changed the subject, looking at him again, "Second Brother, may I ask you a question?"

"what?"

Seeing Leng Ying suddenly turn around and look at him, Xia Zhenhu was also stunned. He then quickly replied, "Fifth Sister, given our relationship, why are you being so polite? Ask me anything, I'll answer every question!"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask your opinion on the Five Spirits Society's expansion in recent years, and on Brother Xu himself..."

Leng Ying remained calm and composed.

"Well! Our Five Elements Society has been thriving in recent years. Not only are there countless experts among our members, but we also encompass members from all the major academies. Even Elder Yuan of the Martial Hall strongly supports our Five Elements Society. We are truly unparalleled in our prominence!"

"As for Brother Xu himself, I don't have any particular opinion. It's just that I feel he seems to be in seclusion more often lately. Not only do we see each other less often, but his strength is also becoming increasingly unfathomable..."

At this point, Xia Zhenhu glanced furtively at Leng Ying across from him, seemingly afraid that he might say something wrong and upset the other party.

"Second brother, what you said is all correct, but these are just superficial phenomena..."

Shaking his head again, a rare look of disappointment crossed Leng Ying's face. "In my opinion, the Five Spirits Society is no longer what it used to be. Not only are its members fighting amongst themselves and harboring resentment, but even Brother Xu himself has completely changed..."

"Internal strife, deceiving superiors, bullying the weak, and acting as accomplices to evil—all these kinds of behaviors are rampant in the Five Spirits Society these days. Although I don't believe that Brother Xu has strayed from his original intentions, these are things I have witnessed with my own eyes..."

Leng Ying's tone gradually became solemn, while Xia Zhenhu, standing to the side, looked embarrassed and seemed speechless.

"Fifth Sister, how about we talk about something cheerful? Actually, I feel about you..."

Xia Zhenhu was about to explain something when he saw Leng Ying staring straight at him, and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Second brother, I appreciate your kindness, but..."

Leng Ying glanced at Xia Zhenhu's right hand, which remained hidden behind his back, then shook his head and said, "I don't like sweets, and I don't like cherry blossoms. You can keep them for yourself, thank you."

"Uh! Fifth Sister, I...I...."

Seeing that the other party had discovered his little secret, Xia Zhenhu also looked embarrassed and became somewhat incoherent. At the same time, he quickly took out a cream rice cake that he was holding tightly in his right palm. A small cherry blossom could be vaguely seen on it, which obviously took a lot of effort.

Cold Eagle, Cold Cherry

The other party used to love cherry blossoms very much. In fact, in order to see the most beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom, the other party could stay up for a whole day and night. This little thing was always remembered by the young Xia Zhenhu.

However, when Leng Ying was eighteen years old, his parents were brutally murdered by a group of nameless bandits, and the entire village was burned to the ground in a fire.

From that day on, Leng Ying's personality changed drastically. He also changed the character "Ying" in his name to "Ying" (eagle), symbolizing an eagle spreading its wings and soaring through the sky, which also represented a complete break with his past self.

"Second brother, you should know that I am not the same person I used to be, so you don't need to do this..."

"I'm...fine now."

After speaking, Leng Ying glanced at the other party again, his pupils flickering slightly, but he didn't say anything more. The next moment, he turned around and left the stone pavilion, leaving Xia Zhenhu standing there in a daze.